Can I make my diapers soft again?

[Snapdragon]

I have mostly all cotton diapers- all fitteds- and after repeted washings none of them are really soft any more. My 2 clovers are still sort of soft, my thirsties fitteds (which have cotton and poly blend) are still soft- but my main stash of various all cotton fitteds are not soft and super cozy anymore. I read that I could dry them on medium not on high but with the amoutn of laundry I do ( a lot) thaty would just add too much time and dryer usage so I dry everything on high. I don't want to use fabric softener for obvious reasons ( to put on my babaies skin- nope!) any other ways to get the diapers soft again?

[~Heidi~]

There are several things to try. Your diapers may need to be stripped, because dtergent build-up can diminish softness. Dryer balls can help soften them up. While I can certainly understand not wanting to use conventional fabric softener, consider trying Ecover softener. It is fabulous.
With all that said, there are some fitteds, especially the bamboo/cotton diapers that will not keep that original silkiness, but the above tips should help soften them up.

[Snapdragon]

how do you strip the diapers?

[sosurreal09]

dawn soap. i put them in the wash and put in a good amount of dawn then do a extra rinse.

[sosurreal09]

so the ecosaver softner is ok for dipes?

[Snapdragon]

hmm- considering looking into the ecover fabric softener- neevr heard of it before. I am really concerned about what I put next to my baby's skin- soyou think this is totally fine for a baby? I didn't realize natural fabric softeners even existed, I have never used one.

[~Heidi~]

I like the Ecover softener a lot. I tried it after reading a well-known wahm's tips for softening up her diapers. It is supposed to be very different from conventional fabric softener, which should never be used on cloth diapers. Conventional softeners are problematic for many reasons in general; and they should never be used on diapers, because they ruin their absorbancy. Ecover, however, is supposed to be formulated completely different from conventional softeners.

Regarding stripping the diapers, if you don't have any Dawn on hand, a hot wash with no detergent works great, too. If you see any suds in the rinse, then do a 2nd rinse, repeating until you see no suds.

[Snapdragon]

I looked at my local co op today for Ecover fabric softener. strangely they had so many different Ecover products (all their other laundry products) but not their fabric softener. They did have the 7th generation fabric softener- is this a similar product?

[hoping42]

There is probably way more info than you care to read (50+ pages) but the first page has a general overview of laundry tips and info on the diaperswappers.com forum. Here is the link. You can also put in "ecover softner" or "fabric softner" in the search this forum to answer your softner question. HTH!

http://www.diaperswappers.com/forum/....php?t=1040786

[Snapdragon]

I just googled the ecover softener to see if I can order it online. they gave me two scent choices :
"sunny day" and "morning fresh"
which scent smells best an also smells the least? I am interested in minimal scenting!
thanks

[~Heidi~]

I have only used the "morning fresh", so I cannot comment on the "sunny day".  Morning fresh is very pleasant.  Ecover says they only use plant-based fragrances.

[Marissamom]

you can also do a rinse with vinegar as a fabric softener it removes detergent build up and rinses clean away. I was really surprised at how much softer it made my diapers (they're a hemp/cotton blend) they were starting to feel really rough and stiff, and just one rinse with vinegar made them soft as new. I think it's a lot easier than stripping with Dawn. 

[nia82]

I have tried both the yellow and pink Ecover and highly prefer the yellow cap one. :)

[MyLittleWonders]

Originally Posted by nia82 

I have tried both the yellow and pink Ecover and highly prefer the yellow cap one. :)

 I like the yellow better too - the smell is "softer," imo.

[octobermom]

I use vianger but I add it dirrectly to the wash cycle rather than the rinse.. It cahnges the diapers PH and gives my DD rashes if I put it in the rinse but with the wash cycle it gives me buttery soft diapers nuturlizes PH and fights stains..